Retail chief Mark McInnes farewells North Bondi on a $12 million penthouse high

Retail chief Mark McInnes has cut his property ties with Sydney after the snappy $12 million sale of his North Bondi oceanfront penthouse.

The sale of an unfinished amalgamation of three top-floor apartments sets a new high for the suburb on the prized Ben Buckler headland, and almost matches the $12 million McInnes and his wife Lisa paid last year for their Toorak mansion.

McInnes moved to Melbourne to be the right-hand man at Premier Investments for billionaire Solomon Lew in 2011, the year after he was forced to step down from the top job at David Jones.

The two-storey spread is set atop an oceanfront apartment block. Photo: Supplied

The North Bondi whole-floor spread is made up of three apartments purchased for $7.1 million by McInnes in 2007. The first apartment was bought from surfer and Formula Energy Surfboards owner Eden Scallan for $1.6 million.

The two remaining apartments were picked up later that year for $5.5 million from two-time Tony Award-winning actor Michael Blakemore.

The apartments come with an approved DA for a two-storey penthouse designed by architect Nick Tobias, with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, extending into the block’s roof.

The DA-approved amalgamation of the three North Bondi apartments was designed by architect Nick Tobias. Photo: Supplied

It was listed a week ago but sold late on Friday before its first open for inspection on Saturday.

The sale price was undisclosed by Ric Serrao, of Raine & Horne Double Bay, who had a guide of $11.5 million to $12 million. An independent source put the result at close to $12 million.

The sale tops the $10.35 million high of last year for the oceanfront house of philanthropist and eco start-up investor Tanya Carnegie.

Premier Investments chief Mark McInnes scored a high of about $12 million for his North Bondi penthouse. Photo: Joe Armao

McInnes sold his beachfront weekender south of Sydney in Coalcliff last year for $3.35 million to LEAP Legal Software executive chairman Richard Hugo-Hamman.